The trail takes around 60 – 90 minutes and takes place across four floors of the museum. It is approximately 1 mile long, and includes multiple flights of stairs or lifts. Arrive at the Cromwell Road entrance and head to the Welcome Desk to start the trail. There will be V&A staff on hand to guide you and a step-free route is available.
Click on the links below to find each stop on our digital map.
Please note stops 5 & 6 will be closed on Friday 16, Thursday 22 and until 2pm on Friday 23 August due to museum events.
Stop 1: Lover
This look transformed Swift into a 'playboy millionaire' for her The Man video. Directed by Swift, the video plays with gender stereotypes. The single is taken from her Lover album, which is a playful and celebratory work, in contrast to the darker tone of the preceding album reputation.
Stop 2: reputation
This striking costume was worn on Taylor Swift's first stadium tour. With darker, more combative music and lyrics, reputation explores the impact of fame and the media on the life of the artist. Looking back, Swift described this work as 'a goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure'. The snake motif, as seen on the boots, typifies the reputation era aesthetic.
Stop 3: Speak Now
Speak Now is the first Taylor Swift album to be completely self-written, featuring songs that with 'brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness' detail her transition to adulthood. As a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer, Taylor Swift is at the helm of her creative output. This ukelele was used on the Speak Now World Tour.
Stop 4: Red
This fisherman's cap was worn on the cover of Taylor Swift's 2021 album Red (Taylor's Version). The original album marked a shift in approach, incorporating elements of rock and pop music alongside her familiar country sound. The gown on display was worn by Swift in the music video for 'I Bet You Think About Me', a 'From The Vault' track on Red (Taylor's Version).
Stop 5: Fearless
Look up!
Reflecting Taylor Swift's passion for fairytales and storytelling, this theatrical costume was worn for performances of 'Love Story' on her first headline tour, the Fearless Tour. The song reimagines Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet as a story with a happy ending. Swift doodled '13' on her hand each night of the tour, an early taste of the unique ways she communicates with her fanbase. This album won Swift her first 'Album of the Year' Grammy award.
Stop 6: 1989
The release of the 1989 album saw Taylor Swift move away from the world of country music, cementing her place as one of the undisputed Queens of Pop. The synth-pop-inspired album features assertive lyrics which explore her responses to living in the public eye. The album won Swift her second 'Album of the Year' Grammy, a first for a female performer.
The 1989 World Tour was the highest-grossing tour of 2015. Around this time, Taylor took on online streaming services, campaigning for fairer compensation for artists, and championing the importance of albums as a creative medium. This look was worn for performances of 'Out of the Woods', part of a new, sleek aesthetic that marked the 1989 era.
Stop 7: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's groundbreaking self-titled debut album was released when she was just 16. The young songwriter fused traditional country with contemporary pop, crafting autobiographical guitar-based songs which detailed the trials and tribulations of adolescence. Its huge crossover appeal spiked interest in country music for a new generation. This stage look is customised with designer cowboy boots.
Stop 8: evermore
evermore was released in 2020 as a continuation and creative conclusion of the folklore recording sessions. Combined, the sister albums reveal songs that saw Swift move away from her established autobiographical style, instead creating magical, wistful worlds inspired by fantasy, nature, and fiction. willow is the third self-directed music video by Swift. The pages from the original storyboard show how the story unfolds.
Stop 9: folklore
folklore was a surprise album, recorded and released by Taylor Swift during the pandemic. Written in isolation, it explores dreamy narratives of introspection, longing, and escapism in intimate songs where 'the lines of fantasy and reality blur'. This cardigan became a favourite among members of the 'Swifties' fandom and sparked a tradition of a new cardigan for every era.
Stop 10: Midnights
A concept album inspired by sleepless nights, Midnights is 'a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams'. Sonically experimental, the album includes nods to electronic and synth-pop as well as R&B. The album broke streaming records on its release, was the bestselling album of 2022 and won Swift her fourth 'Album of the Year' Grammy Award.
This ornate costume and necklace were worn by Taylor Swift as a Cinderella-like character in the video for the song Bejeweled. The video features a number of celebrity cameos including Hollywood actor Laura Dern and burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, and sees Swift reject Prince Charming (played by her long-time songwriting collaborator Jack Antonoff ), in a twist on the original tale.
Taylor Swift directed four music videos for tracks from her Midnights album, each containing fan-favourite hidden clues and Easter eggs relating to Swift lore. In and around this era Swift also released four re-recorded versions of earlier studio albums, smashing Billboard charts and sales records in the process. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) outsold the original version within the first week of its release.
Stop 11: Records and re-records, plus Fearless, Red, Lover, The Tortured Poets Department
In 2021 Swift began re-recording her first six albums to take back control of her catalogue. Each new edition is subtitled 'Taylor's Version' and includes reworked versions of her original compositions as well as additional tracks 'From The Vault'. This shirt dress features previous album titles and was worn when Swift was awarded 'Artist of the Decade' at the American Music Awards in 2019.
Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour film is now officially the highest grossing concert film of all time and highlights the elaborate staging, costume and choreography that make up a show of this scale and ambition. The film captures the spectacle of the live show, which has been an unprecedented phenomenon of cultural, social, and economic impact across the international stage.
Fearless
Taylor Swift’s second album Fearless was a breakthrough hit, taking her from the country charts to the mainstream. Following the sale of her recording masters, Swift embarked on a project to re-record her first six studio albums to regain control and ownership of her past work.
Red
Hats have featured during significant moments on Swift tours. This top hat was used as part of her ringmaster outfit for the grand finale of shows during the Red Tour. The fedora was used in the video for 22, and a similar hat is given by Swift to a lucky unsuspecting fan every night on the current tour.
Lover
From an emerging country-pop star on her first Rolling Stone cover to just a handful of her Vogue covers, this selection of magazines illustrates Taylor Swift’s rise from a promising young singer to a global superstar. In 2023, Time magazine named Swift their Person of the Year and created three commemorative covers for the occasion. The cat version is Swift’s favourite.
The Tortured Poets Department
In February 2024 Swift announced her forthcoming album The Tortured Poets Department as she received the Best Pop Vocal Album of the Year Grammy Award for Midnights. An example of her extraordinary creative output, this double album features 31 tracks. Its eclectic mix of poetic and emotional songs reference a range of female artists including Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks and Clara Bow.
Stop 12: The Tortured Poets Department
The Tortured Poets Department represents Taylor Swift’s current era. The album’s release – over a year into her ongoing Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour – prompted changes to the show setlist to reflect the inclusion of the new era. This ensemble was worn by Swift in the video for lead single Fortnight, which fuses monochromatic elements of B-movie sci-fi with a Victorian gothic aesthetic.
Stop 13: Childhood
Born in Pennsylvania on 13 December 1989, Taylor Swift began writing songs at a young age. The little girl with big dreams can be seen here in a selection of childhood photos, alongside the music video for 'The Best Day', which celebrates Swift's relationship with her mother. Her talent for songwriting and performing would eventually catapult her to international stardom.
